Successes and failures of the League of Nations

Why were there so many border disputes in the 1920s?

Central Europe had changed radically as a result of the defeat of Germany and Austria Hungary, and the resulting agreements causing changed borders

Which nations wanted control of the Aaland islands?

Sweden and Finland

When did these nations argue over who should own the Aaland islands?

1921

What did the League decide should happen to the Aaland islands?

It should belong to Finland, but with the regulations of not being able to build any fortresses on it

Why couldn’t the Finnish people build forts on the Aaland islands?

So that it couldn’t be used as a base from which to attack Sweden

Were the Aaland islands a success or failure and why?

A success because both nations agreed

Which nations wanted Vilna?

Lithuania and Poland

Which year did Lithuania and Poland want Vilna?

1920

What role was Vilna supposed to have?

It was going to be the capital of Lithuania

Why was there a dispute over Vilna?

A Polish army took control of it, aided by the people’s support

How did Poland respond when the League intervened and asked it to remove the troops from Vilna?

They refused

What did the League try to do about Vilna?

Enlist France and Britain to send an army to attack the Polish army and return Vilna to Lithuania

How did Britain and France respond in Vilna?

They refused to get involved

Why did France refuse to help in Vilna?

They didn’t want to oppose Poland, since the coutnry was a possible ally

Why did Britain refuse to help in Vilna?

Britain needed the support of other countries to send troops

Was Vilna a success or failure and why?

A failure because the League failed to send any troops to Vilna as their member countries refused, so it resulted in a stalemate

Which nations wanted control of Upper Silesia?

Germany and Poland

When did Germany and Poland want control of Upper Silesia?

Between 1921-1925

Why did both nations want to claim Upper Silesia?

It was on the border, there were people of both races living there and it was an important area for steel and iron production

How did the League respond in Upper Silesia?

They organised a plebiscite - the whole country votes

Which nation won more votes in the plebiscite for Upper Silesia?

Germany, at 60% of the votes

How did Poland respond to the results of the plebiscite for Upper Silesia?

They complained that many of the voting Germans had moved, so British and French troops were sent in to ensure that the vote remained calm

What did the League of Nations decide to do with the results?

Split the area depending on the proportion of votes; Poland received 1/3 of the land, 50% of the population and 75% of the industrial areas, while Germany had more land than Poland, but less of it was urban or industrial

Was the Upper Silesia conflict a success or failure and why?

Success because Germany and Poland accepted the terms

Which countries wanted control of Corfu?

Italy and Greece

When did Italy and Greece want control of Corfu?

1923

What happened in the Corfu conflict?

An Italian general and his team were murdered in Italy, so Mussolini ordered an invasion of Greece since he blamed the country for the deaths of the five Italians. This killed 15 people in the invasion process

How did the League get involved with the Corfu crisis?

The League condemned Italy but ultimately sided with Italy and ordered Greece to pay compensation for the deaths of the Italians

Why was the League’s power undermined in the Corfu crisis?

The compensation was paid outside of the League

Was the Corfu crisis a success or failure and why?

A failure as Greece got the blame despite suffering worse consequences, yet it was successful since Mussolini removed his troops from Greece after they received compensation

Which countries were involved in the Greek-Bulgaria dispute?

Greece and Bulgaria

What happened to start the Greek-Bulgaria conflict?

A Greek soldier chased his dog over the border and was killed, leading to Greece invading (like what Italy did to them)

How did the League respond?

They condemned Greece’s actions and ordered them to withdraw their troops and pay compensation to Bulgaria

Was the Greek-Bulgaria conflict a success or failure and why?

A success, since Greece removed its troops and complied with the League’s requests - because it was a small country which needed protection from the League and wanted good relations with Britain and France

Why can the Greece-Bulgaria conflict be seen as a failure?

The League behaved hypocritically, changing its verdict depending on the nation - although Greece was copying Italy’s actions on it, Greece faced the blame while Italy got away with their actions